Homes on one of Britain’s most polluted streets outside London may be demolished and the owners paid compensation to move elsewhere under a council effort to hit air quality targets.

If the plan is approved it would become the first time homes were demolished to meet air pollution targets.

Buying and demolishing the 20 homes and three businesses on the road in Crumlin, south Wales, would cost about £4.5 million, according to estimates by Caerphilly county borough council.

It is considering demolition as the fastest way to meet a legal requirement to limit nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution exposure, from diesel vehicles, to an annual average of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air.